The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to a filter electrical connector.
As explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,840 to Selvin, assigned to the assignee of the present application, a problem which is frequently encountered by users of electronic equipment is that of electromagnetic interference (EMI). Such interference may be reduced by utilizing filtered connectors with such electronic equipment. The aforementioned Selvin patent discloses a unique filter connector arrangement utilizing a monolithic capacitor which is mounted between two rows of contacts in an electrical connector. The contacts are electrically connected to the parallel, spaced live electrodes on the capacitor by soldering. Thereafter the contacts and capacitor are encapsulated by a potting compound. The use of solder and potting usually yields a lower reliability assembly that is non-repairable and requires a high degree of process control to produce.
To avoid the requirement of soldering and potting of the parts, the filter connector disclosed in the aforementioned Brancaleone application was devised. As disclosed therein, the Brancaleone filter connector comprises a front insulator which is shaped to house a monolithic capacitor within a slot bordered by spaced rows of contact cavities. A thin metallic plate, or spring array, is positioned against the rear of the front insulator so that a plurality of spring tabs on the spring array project inwardly into the insulator slot and a plurality of spring tines on the spring array project inwardly into correspondingly aligned contact cavities. The capacitor is then inserted into the slot so that external electrodes thereon contact the spring tabs. A contact is inserted into each contact cavity, causing a spring tine on the array to deflect and make contact therewith. Thus, each spring tine-tab element provides electrical connection between a contact and a corresponding electrode on the capacitor. A rear insulator is then mounted against the spring array to sandwich the spring array between the front and rear insulators. The rear insulator embodies a rib which breaks portions of the spring array and thereby isolates each spring element of the array.
The object of the present invention is to provide a filter connector utilizing a monolithic capacitor similar to the Brancaleone connector but which requires fewer parts, is simpler to assemble and in which the parts are not prone to damage during assembly or handling, thereby reducing overall cost of the final product.